Eclipse of the Heart

chapter 9

Amanda arrived at work early on Tuesday morning so she could grab a cup of coffee and a bagel from the company cafeteria. She spotted Rosie waving from a far corner and walked over with her tray.

Rosie snorted as Amanda approached. "Now we know why you've been christened 'Hump a Frump'."

The tray clattered as Amanda almost dropped it on the table. "Hu—" She couldn't repeat the words. "That's awful! Who said that?"

Rosie shrugged. "Thought you should know. You want to be careful."

"Help!" Amanda plopped down into one of the hard plastic chairs. "Who said that to you? Is it all over the company?"

"If it's not now, it will be soon." Rosie's face softened in pity. "I'm sure it came from Phoebe Cattus. That woman has a vicious tongue. Add some jealousy to the mix, and it gets ugly."

"Jealousy? She has nothing to be jealous about."

"Maybe not." Rosie shook a packet of sweetener into her coffee. "But that's not going to stop her."

"What will?"

"You could try getting rid of the 'frump' look."

"It's the 'hump' part I'm worried about." Amanda put down the bagel she'd just picked up. Her appetite had fled.

"The 'hump' part is Phoebe's fantasy, right?" Rosie raised her eyebrows. "She's been after that man since the day she started with the company."

"What do you mean, 'right'?" Amanda leaned over the table. "You don't think I'm sleeping with him, do you?"

"No," Rosie said, a trace of uncertainty in her voice. "But the way he looks at you—"

"He looks at me with annoyance and frustration because I'm a woman who doesn't fall at his feet."

"He looks at you like he's the biggest cat in the jungle and you're the sweetest catnip he's ever seen."

"That hardly means I'm sleeping with him!"

"Well," Rosie argued, "you could pull the stinger out of the 'frump' part of the phrase if you dressed better."

"These are my clothes." Amanda gestured to the—okay, frumpy—outfit she wore. "I can't afford a new wardrobe." In truth, she'd spent money she didn't have to buy a few extra-dowdy items. She figured the best way to keep her new boss from pursuing her for sex would be to make herself unsexy.

"No problem." Rosie leaned forward eagerly. "I could help you. I live for cheap makeovers."

"Thanks, Rosie. That's kind of you." Amanda sighed.

She knew Rosie meant well. But, after the trip to Philadelphia, she was pretty sure Logan had abandoned his brief plan to pursue her. She needed to make sure he remained uninterested, because she was afraid that she was too weak where he was concerned. If he did pursue her, she might succumb, thereby destroying all her plans. It would only be a matter of time before he tired of her, and then her job here would be over. As well as her insurance benefits for her sister.

On the other hand, if the nickname Rosie had told her about continued to circulate, people might assume she was sleeping with Logan regardless of the lack of evidence, and her professional credibility could be shot.

She needed a solution. An attractive man walked by, and an answer popped into her head. She needed a boyfriend. That would not only discourage Logan, but it would also stymie company gossip.

Rosie followed her gaze, and then shook her head. "He's married."

"Not everyone is." Amanda stood up. She had to hitch up her skirt, which was a little big around the waist since she'd wanted an unfashionably long length. "Thanks, Rosie, for the offer. This look works for me."

"Let me know when you change your mind," Rosie said cheerfully.

Amanda began plotting her strategy even as she dropped off her tray at the conveyor belt. She hadn't dated much since her sister's condition worsened. She simply didn't have the time. But the company rumor mill had given a whole new direction to her thoughts. She had to squash those rumors, and in a way that left no doubt in anyone's mind about the fact that she was not the latest mistress of Logan Winter.

Therefore, her new boyfriend would have to be someone from the company. Luckily, there were plenty of young men working at Winter Enterprises.

The place to start looking was the staff meeting on schedule for 9 a.m. this morning. She'd already met enough of Logan's direct reports to know there were some good dating prospects among the men. The meeting would be the perfect opportunity for her to embark on her new plan.

Fortunately, when she entered the conference room, Logan was not present yet. He'd only be a distraction to what she was trying to accomplish. She glanced around to see who was in attendance today.

Clark Bessemer was already seated at his place to the right of Logan's chair. He was not a potential boyfriend candidate, not only because he was middle-aged, but also because he wore a wedding ring.

They exchanged greetings and Amanda took a seat at the middle of the table.

Next to saunter in was Phoebe Cattus. Ugh. She was filling in this week for her boss who was on vacation. The blonde shot a venomous look at Amanda and flounced to a seat next to Clark.

Two middle-aged women followed. Letty from HR, a thin, elegant black woman with a swan-like neck, and Maria Lopez, who headed up the Marketing Department.

Finally, a viable target entered. Josh Gilroy. Everything about him radiated confidence, from his pleasant smile and calm demeanor, to his rich tenor voice and well-fitted suit. Amanda suspected he was a bit older than he appeared to be since he was already head of the Treasury Department, filling in this week for the Vice-President of Finance, who was away.

Josh was wearing a preppy Vineyard Vines tie, with yellow whales on a pale blue background. He stopped next to her, said "Good morning," and placed his briefcase on the conference table next to hers. When he sat down, she could smell a pleasant aroma of coffee and mint. Clean and cool. She smiled warmly at him.

He leaned his head down to speak quietly to her. "Ready for the daily drama?"

Amanda giggled. Yesterday's drama had featured Phoebe pacing back and forcing in front of the white board, declaring she needed to double her budget if anyone expected the company website to remain at the top ranking in the search engines.

Maria had taken her on, arguing for any extra money to go directly to the marketing department where it could be more effectively spent than on "some website that no one ever looks at."

Phoebe hadn't taken that well and the battle raged until Logan raised one hand.

"No one's budget will be increasing this month." His quiet words fell into a bucket of silence, and no one had dared to venture another comment.

Now Josh winked at her, just as Logan slipped in through the door from his office. Logan's dark gaze flew from Amanda to Josh and back again to Amanda. She thought his lips tightened, but that might have been a trick of the lighting.

Logan strode over to his seat and yanked out his chair just as Philip Barnston bounded in. His purple tie, complementing a purple and white striped dress shirt, introduced a carnival atmosphere into the room. "Hey, Amanda, love." Philip headed in her direction. "Thanks for saving me a seat." Sliding in to the empty seat next to her he flashed a grin, and offered her a stick of gum.

She shook her head no, frowning slightly at the way he'd singled her out. His blonde hair waved back from his forehead in a perfectly styled cut that had undoubtedly set him back more than a hundred dollars. Though he was a bit too boyishly Hugh Grantish for her taste, she couldn't rule him out. He seemed disposed to like her and he was certainly young and attractive.

With a final cool glance in the direction of Amanda, Logan began the meeting. He didn't look her way again unless she spoke, and she wasn't sure if she should be grateful or alarmed.

Alarm won the day when the meeting ended and everyone rose in a buzz of talk and scraping chairs.

"Amanda." Logan had to raise his voice a bit to call down the table. "I'd like to see you in my office."

Her head jerked up in surprise. But she managed to reply calmly enough, "Be right there."

"Hey, Amanda." Josh touched her arm.

She turned to look at him. "What—"

"Amanda." Logan's deep voice cut through the post-meeting buzz. "Now, if you please."

"Geez," she muttered under her breath. "The drama continues."

"He's not too bad," Josh murmured. "As long as you don’t make any mistakes."

Amanda watched covertly as Logan tucked his laptop under his arm and strode from the room. What did he want with her? Had he seen her flirting with Josh? Was that the cause of the thunderous scowl on his face?

No, she couldn't be so arrogant as to suppose it was. She reminded herself of how he'd left her both nights in Philadelphia. He was hardly pining after her.

On that thought, courage spurted through her. She had her own life to make and it certainly wasn't going to revolve around Logan Winter.

She walked into his office, faking a confidence she didn't really feel. He'd been facing out the window, but he swiveled around at her approach. She had to order herself not to gape, but it was hard. He was so attractive. His white Oxford shirt emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, and he'd rolled up the sleeves neatly, showing off his strong forearms.

With the air of a man opening negotiations on an unpleasant topic, he announced, "I have to attend a wedding next Saturday."

"Scary." Amanda bit her cheek to keep from smiling at the tense look on his face.

"Unavoidable." He tapped a pen against the leather blotter on his desk. "One of my financial backers."

"You want me to ask Rosie to order a gift? Can't go wrong with Tiffany's."

"Damn." He snapped his fingers. "You're right. That's something Ms. Lockwood would have handled."

Amanda turned. "I'll get Rosie on it."

"Wait." He paused.

She raised her eyebrows. What was the problem? It wasn't like him to hesitate over his words.

"I rarely attend such an event."

She nodded.

"Never bring a date."

She had to smile at that. "Might give a woman ideas."

He rolled his eyes. "You can't imagine."

"No," she said politely.

"In this case, however—" He started tapping again with the pen. "I thought it might be useful for you to go."

"Me?" She almost dropped her laptop. "I'm not invited."

"With me, Amanda," he snapped.

It had to be the least gracious invitation she'd ever received.

"With you?" She couldn't prevent herself from repeating the words.

"No big deal." He waved a hand. "Excellent contacts for you."

"Contacts." She managed to nod her head as if any of this made sense. Everyone attended weddings to make contacts, right?

He met her gaze. "Yes or no?"

Did she see a hint of uncertainty in the back of those gray eyes? Impossible. No one in the world had more self-possession than he did.

"Fine."

"Good." He put down the pen. "It's black tie. 8 p.m. I'll pick you up at 7."

She turned on her heel and walked out. Even if people didn't attend weddings to make connections, it was a fact that she'd still meet people. People worth meeting.

Josh was standing at Rosie's desk, booking an appointment with Logan. He turned with a smile when Amanda walked up.

"Did you survive the inquisition?" he asked cheerfully. "You look all in one piece."

"So far, his bark is worse than his bite." Amanda smiled. "Let's hope I never learn differently."

"I've been here five years. As long as you work your tail off and never screw up, he's fine to work for."

"That's reassuring." She couldn't help the wry twist to her smile.

"Hey, on another subject." Josh raised his brows. "Some of us go out for a drink on Friday after work. Care to join us?"

"Sure." She smiled. Perfect.

"You too, Rosie." Josh nodded at her.

"I'm busy," she answered, "but you all have a good time."

"Join us if you change your mind." The elevator dinged and Josh moved toward it. "Six o'clock. The Zebra Bar. Right here in the building."

Amanda nodded her acceptance.

Excellent. Josh was a perfect candidate for temporary boyfriend. Not only was he friendly and personable, she actually liked him. It was an added bonus that she'd be seeing him in the company of their co-workers. That should help to squash any rumors about her and Logan.

Rosie raised her eyebrows, and nodded at Josh's receding back. "You could do worse."

"Nice guy." Amanda leaned over to speak quietly. "But it's time to think weddings, Rosie."

"Already?" Rosie's eyes turned as round as Christmas balls.

"Already?" Amanda repeated. "What the heck do you mean?"

"You and Logan—"

Amanda's gasp was followed by a giggle. "You couldn't possibly think—" She waved back at the office she'd just left.

"I certainly could." Rosie narrowed her eyes. "I'm not blind, ya know."

"You haven't heard his lines?" Amanda lowered her voice to the deepest range she could manage. "'I don't date. I don't do relationships.'" They laughed together.

"He doesn't need those lines with me," Rosie said. "I'm certainly not his type."

"Me neither," Amanda agreed. "But a wedding might be the kind of event you don't take your hired sex buddy to, so I'm elected to be the sacrificial victim."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

Amanda laughed. "It's the only way. My problem now is finding something appropriate to wear."

Rosie pursed her lips. "You need a wedding dress."

"A dress for a wedding, Rosie." Amanda shook her head. "Not a wedding dress."

Rosie grinned, unrepentant. "Just amusing myself."

Amanda sighed, repressing the thoughts Rosie's words conjured. "It's a Saturday night wedding," she said. "Black tie. I can go simple."

"Negative." Rosie thumped a hand on her desk. "You're going to go smashing."